Vegas Sports Masters

In an earlier-week column right here at Jim Sez, we mentioned three Major-League Baseball starting pitchers who could really shake up the scene if dealt away - they were Tampa Bay RHP Chris Archer, Texas LHP Cole Hamels and San Diego RHP Tyson Ross - and so in keeping with this "trade" theme we'll now take a look at three MLB hitters that could well shake things up if dealt away in the coming weeks. Here's the lowdown ...

MIKE MOUSTAKAS, 3B, Kansas City - At this very moment, "The Moose" leads the woe-be-gone Royals in home runs (13), RBI (42), on-base percentage (.364), slugging percentage (.483) and runs scored (33) but he's far from being labeled an "untouchable" as we hit the middle of June. Remember that Moustakas signed back on with KayCee after a lengthy free-agent period this past off-season but the Royals -- 21-41 and in last place in the weakling American League Central race - and right now KC would be thrilled to deal 'em for some prospects and that's why Philadelphia and San Francisco are very much in the mix for his services. Hey, if the Phillies can swing a deal to get Moustakas then that lineup is "lengthened" and the likes of 1B Carlos Santana (10 HR, 37 RBI) and OF Odubel Herrera (.429 slugging) will get better pitches to hit.

J.T. REALMUTO, C, Miami - Let's face it, we've been hearing trade rumors regarding this 27-year-old for more than a year now but something's telling us team boss Derek Jeter might be getting ever-so-close to pulling the trigger on a Realmuto-to-Houston swap. Right now, the Astros' backstop combo of Max Stassi and veteran Brian McCann just isn't getting the job done. While heading into last night's home game against the San Francisco Giants, Realmuto was hitting .300 with 7 HR and 22 RBI to go along with 28 runs scored. If Houston isn't against the idea of dealing away a couple of Triple-A prospects, then Realmuto could be the missing puzzle piece to a second consecutive World Series team.

SCOOTER GENNETT, 2B, Cincinnati - Ahh, the Reds' second sacker right this minute is second in the National League in batting average at .339 and he's been a rare beacon of light for a team that sports a rotten 22-40 record, worst in the NL Central. If the Reds wish to acquire an arm or two sometime between now and the July 31st trade deadline, then swapping Gennett and closer RHP Raisel Iglesias (9 saves) to a contender makes sense and you could see a match between Cincinnati and Boston r maybe even the Chicago Cubs inside the same division.

Jim Hurley and his Network of Handicappers and Bloggers are winning big with Major League Baseball action every day. So, make sure you cash in bigright here online or 1-800-323-4453. Pile up the profits as we head towards another great NCAA Football / NFL season straight ahead!

NFL WEEK 1

Hope you've noticed that the four teams that comprised the Conference Championship matchups last season - Minnesota at Philadelphia in the NFC; Jacksonville at New England in the AFC - all are unsurprisingly betting favorites for Week 1 action come early September:

Thursday, Sept. 6 ... Atlanta at Philadelphia - The defending champion Eagles are 4.5-point betting favorites for the NFL's Kickoff Game in 2018 and note that Philly started off last year 5-1 ATS (against the spread) as home betting favorites till that 19-10 Christmas Night non-cover victory against 10-point dog Oakland. Overall, the Eagles are a collective 12-6 ATS as home chalk the past three years ... not bad at all!

Sunday, Sept. 9...Houston at New England - The Patriots are currently a 6.5-point betting fav against the visiting Houston Texans in Week 1 action and did you know that Bill Belichick's crew is 19-6-1 spreadwise outside the confines of the AFC East these past two seasons?

San Francisco at Minnesota - The Vikings are listed as a 5-point home favorite against the 49ers and ... get this: Minnesota's a solid 16-10 versus the vig as favs or 6-or-less points the past three years and that includes a 29-19 win/cover against 3-point road dog New Orleans in last year's season opener for the Vikes.

Jacksonville at New York Giants - Here's a Week 1 road favorite as the Jaguars are listed as a 4-point betting favorite for this game at the Meadowlands (wonder what the legal gambling handle will be here now that the state of New Jersey today begins life in the gaming world!). Jacksonville actually sported a losing spread mark as road favorites last year, going 2-3 against the odds with covers at Cleveland and the Andrew Luck-less Indianapolis Colts. The road favorite spread setbacks came at the New York Jets, at Arizona and at San Francisco.

NOTE: Catch all the Major-League Baseball news/notes in the next edition of Jim Sez and we'll continue to dig into all the key NFL news items from here through training camps, so don't miss out!

THE DOLLAR$ OF AUGUSTJOIN ME FOR THE PRE-SEASON, USE THESE GAMES TO DOUBLE YOUR BANKROLLTHEN AT LEAST DOUBLE YOUR ENTIRE SEASON'S PROFITS

Starts With The Hall of Fame Game Thursday, August 2 with the Ravens vs. the BearsLast season 19-6, and won the Preseason Game of the Year with Saints (+3.5) over Chargers 13-7